(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to notch radiators and antenna systems including the same.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Tapered notch radiators (or flared notch radiators) work well as array elements in antenna arrays because they can easily fit within array lattice spacing, possess broad bandwidth despite their small aperture area and can be designed for dual polarization.
Known single feed tapered notch radiators (hereinafter “notch radiator(s)”), with a profile of a third of a wavelength at the lowest operating frequency of the notch radiators, can achieve good scan and match performance, but do not possess the differential rejection desired for high linearity and noise rejection. Known differential feed radiators such as the “bunny ear” or dipole antenna do not provide as much bandwidth as desired by many ultra-wide band (UWB) applications. Other known differential notch radiator designs possessing wider bandwidths such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,180,457, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference, can be complicated in their constructions and do not incorporate an integrated balun as part of the radiator, requiring additional components in the design.
Accordingly, a differential notch radiator design with an integrated balun that is simple in fabrication with reduced mechanical complexity and cost is highly desirable.